Krugman says redistributing wealth would boost economy

Goodbye trickle down, hello trickle-up Could redistribution bolster U.S. growth? Yes, according to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in his column in the New York Times on Friday. Researchers at the International Monetary Fund have found that lower levels in inequality are associated with faster, not slower, growth, Krugman writes. “Being nice to the wealthy and cruel to the poor is not, it turns out, the key to economic growth,” Krugman concludes.

No GOP Senate scalp this year for Tea Party. The Tea Party’s last chance to defeat an incumbent Republican senator fell short Thursday night when Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander easily defeated state Rep. Joe Carr, a conservative challenger. The Tennessean said Alexander was a heavy favorite to defeat his Democratic challenger in the fall, according to the Tennessean. Democrats haven’t settled on a candidate yet. Two Knoxville attorneys, Terry Adams or Gordon Ball, are vying for the chance to take on Alexander in the Nov. 4 general election.

Citco finds a Senate ally. Sen. Mary Landrieu, the Democrat from Louisiana and chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, worked with oil company Citgo to block a package of Venezuelan sanctions that the Senate was working on last week, Politico reported, citing emails. Landrieu, who is facing a tough fight for reelection this fall, was concerned that the sanctions might cause layoffs at a refinery in her state that receives oil from Venezuela.

The first Twitter War? The president of Azerbaijan used his Twitter account to threaten war with neighboring Armenia in an escalating dispute over a mountainous region that both countries claim. The two sides had signed a cease-fire in 1994 but there were reports of dozens killed in renewed clashes, according to the Guardian newspaper.